


Wrong Turn At Albuquerque

by BlueBioluminescence



Series: Star Trek: New Mexico AU [1]
Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: (while there is nothing graphic Jim does mention that he raises cows for food), Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Farm life and Cattle raising, M/M, Mestizo James T. Kirk, New Mexican James T. Kirk, New Mexico Culture, POC!James T. Kirk, Slice of Life, Talk of loss of culture and the struggles of cultural perservation, Talks about the long term effects of systemic racism
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-06
Updated: 2020-06-06
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:00:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,206
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24572686
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueBioluminescence/pseuds/BlueBioluminescence
Summary: This is a very self indulgent AU in which Jim is a born-and-raised New Mexican working his Abuela's farm and who just happens to be at the right place at the right time to help an extraterrestrial scientist with their bike problems.Featuring: A crash course in New Mexico culture, specifically Northern New Mexico culture.[Yes the title is very cliche~]
Relationships: James T. Kirk/Spock
Series: Star Trek: New Mexico AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1776103
Comments: 10
Kudos: 18





	Wrong Turn At Albuquerque

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [A little bit of grace, (for me and for you)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18027911) by [Wingittofreedom](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wingittofreedom/pseuds/Wingittofreedom). 



> I was convinced to post this from people on my Tumblr, but I have to give a big shout out to [Wingittofreedom](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wingittofreedom/pseuds/Wingittofreedom) who not only inspired this story with their [Mexican-American Jim Kirk ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18027911/chapters/42596966) story but who also influenced a lot of the story composition and art in this story from their other work [The Sparrow People](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22191655/chapters/52981510) . 
> 
> If you have not read their stuff I highly recommend that you do.
> 
> You can Find my Ao3 Specific Tumblr at: [bluebioluminecense](https://bluebioluminecense.tumblr.com) where I mostly just post story ideas and updates across all my fandoms 
> 
> You can find my Spirk Specific Tumblr at: [aromantic-james-t-kirk](https://aromantic-james-t-kirk.tumblr.com) where you can find more pictures of this specific Jim under the tag 'Mestizo Jim Kirk"
> 
> Regarding Updates: This will be a slowly Updating story! Even though I have the bare bones of it done, I want to make sure I'm doing this story right for me and my home so I will be taking extra time to do just that. sorry!

### Part 1: Chaquewe

##### One: A Stranger In All Black

James T. Kirk was raised on the words of his abuela. 

She spoke often and at length of the beauty within the desert and the mesas, of the water that gave them life, of the importance of everything and everyone around them. Words of grace and compassion. She taught him that a helping hand is more important than a date kept and knowing when to speak and when to hold your tongue was a virtue worth learning. 

Jim still had trouble with the last one, but he had learned the first one well enough. You had to when, more often then not in the llano and deserts and mesas a helping hand could mean the difference between life and death.

Which was why, at 4 am, when he saw someone broken down at the side of the road in the long stretch of nowhere between Hatch and Soccorro, he pulled over to help. 

The night sky was still black, and the man was kneeling beside a motorcycle obviously trying to figure out what was wrong in the darkness of the very-early morning. If it hadn’t been for a lamp the guy had placed out beside himself Jim might have missed him. 

“You need some help? Necesitas ayuda?” Jim called out as he pulled up a safe distance from the bike. He kept his headlights on to give the guy a little more light to work by and turned on the emergency lights to alert anyone coming up behind them before getting out. 

The man looked up at him then and, if it wasn’t for the sharp point of his ears and the iridescent shine over his whole eye, which were highlighted even more in the brightness of Jim’s headlights, Jim would have thought him human. As it was the guy obviously was not and Jim had to pull on all his self restraint to keep from reacting openly to that fact.

‘See Abuela. I’m learning.’ He thought as he plastered a friendly smile on his face. 

The thing was, New Mexico was kind of known for its extraterrestrials. And ya, sure, the rest of the world might think it was a joke, or a publicity stunt, but that was mostly by careful design and people knowing when to mind their own business and keep their mouths shut. So Jim knew he probably wasn’t as surprised as he should be to find an alien out here having bike trouble, even if they were a little far from the usual ‘vacation’ spot. Still, this was the first off-world person he had personally met which did make the situation a little more novel. He was just there to help though, he reminded himself, so it didn’t really matter who or where the guy was from. 

“You doing okay? Esta bien?” Jim asked again keeping his distance to not freak the guy out, “Bike trouble?”

The alien looked at him with a blank expression before looking back to his bike and closing the panel at the side. He stood then and Jim watched him unfold. He was tall and long limbed and Jim thought he had a frankly ridiculous haircut but his outfit was the best damn thing he had seen all night. All black and flowing thick fabric that looked like they would keep out the cold real nice. If it wasn’t for the fact that those long sleeves and drapes were likely to get caught into something mean when riding Jim might have even asked where he got it. Well...that and the fact that Jim very much doubted he would be able to _go_ to where this guy had gotten them. His leather jacket would simply have to do as it always had. 

“Look man, I only know like, one and a quarter languages. So I’m really not sure where to go from here,” he said, indicating with a hand to the guy's bike and then back to his truck and then sweeping his hand around to the vastness of the empty desert and mesas around them before looking back to the guy to see if he had understood any of that.

“I am able to speak the Earth dialect of American English.” The guy finally said and Jim let out a low huff if only to keep from laughing. Thank God for small blessings.

“Oh Good. Though a word of advice: don’t say it like that, just say you speak english alright?” he smiled, going over now that at least that much had been taken care of, “It will get you into less trouble. Now, you need any help?”

“I do not think you would be capable of helping me.” The guy said and Jim did let out a small laugh at that one as he stuffed his hands in his jeans and rocked back on his boots. 

“Ya, no shit? I probably wouldn’t even know half the stuff you’ve got under that hood.” He indicated with his chin to the bike, “But, mira look, you’re not exactly safe out here on the side of the road like this, especially in what you are wearing. All black? Not good. You’re going to get hit. I can take you someplace where you can work on that thing in peace. I’ve got a farm about an hour and a half out from here.”

The guy looked contemplative at that before very carefully reaching out and running his fingers along Jim’s wrist just above where his hands disappeared into his pockets. Jim looked at him, head tilted sideways, confused, but after a moment the man straightened up and nodded. “Very well. It would be logical to find a more secluded place to work. I...thank you for your assistance.”

“Hey, es no problema man.” Jim said warmly, reaching out and slapping the other guy on his shoulder. “Names Jim Kirk, you can call me Jim.”

“And I am Spock.” the guy, Spock, answered and Jim nodded, moving to grab the bike before he was stopped as the alien held up a long fingered hand, Jim had the very invasive thought that it was a very nice hand. “I am perfectly capable of carrying it alone as your planet has a lower gravity then my own. If you would simply indicate where I might place it?” He asked and Jim moved back, the guy's words breaking him out of his inappropriate musing and reminding him who he was talking to.

“Ya. Right, alright.” He said, “But uh, again man, keep that kind of talk to a minimum alright? The last thing we or anyone else in the state wants is the Big Boys getting involved. Again. Es no bueno and a pain in the culo you know?” 

The guy blinked, his fully grey-green eye vanishing for a second before appearing once more and Jim realized that that iridescent sheen he had noticed pulling up was the whole guy’s eye. It was interesting but damn if they weren’t going to make it harder to hide the guy if he needed to. Hopefully no one would be visiting his family's farm any time soon. 

“I do not understand. You are already aware that I am from another planet. There is no logic in attempting to hide knowledge that you already possess.” the alien finally spoke up and Jim shook his head. 

“No I don’t mean with _me,_ just, you know, _other_ people. It's...you know what nevermind.” He shook his head “You’re right. It’s not like other people are going to be seeing you. Well, hopefully.” he nodded before indicating with a thumb to his truck. “We’re going to put it into the bed of my truck. Give me a sec to move things around alright?” he told him, escaping the semi-awkward conversation and getting a soft ‘very well’ in return. He ran over to his truck and opened the bed before climbing in. He grabbed the large burlap sacs within and pushed them closer to the head, trying to make as much space as he could for the bike to go in. By the time he was done Spock was standing, bike at his side, at the back of the truck. 

“Alright, lift her in.” Jim said, watching as Spock did just that, seemingly unburdened by the weight of the bike. Jim wondered if it was just that light or if Spock was just that strong. 

“You been out here long?” Jim asked as he started to strap the bike down with bungee straps he had in the back. He had noticed that the alien didn’t really seem to have any real supplies on him. Just a simple bag at his side. “You got water on you?” he pushed on, “dehydration out here can be killer. Though I guess the risk is less so at night but it’s still a risk.” he paused, looking over his work “I’ve got some in the car if you need.”

“That is acceptable.” he replied and Jim was startled as he looked over to see human-like eyes watching him instead of the milky-green of before. 

“Whoa man, You happened to your eyes?” He asked before he could think better of it before, “can you transform or something?”

Once more the guy blinked and Jim was half expecting to see the eyes change back to what they had been before but no, brown human-like eyes still looked back at him. “My species had a nictitating membran acting as a third eyelid.” he said blankly, “Your vehicle's lights were...very bright.” He added after a moment. 

“Ah.” Jim said softly, “that's my bad. Sorry.” he said a little sheepishly as he jumped down from the bed of his truck. Best to change the subject then before he stuck his foot in his mouth again. “So what brings you out to New Mexico? Just passing through?” 

“I am out here for a survey of the region.” Spock responded as he moved around the other side of the truck and got into the passenger's side. The soft light that turned on as the doors opened gave Jim a better chance to look at the man, if only for a second, and to observe his features. Besides the ears he really did look very human. No wonder these guys could drop by without any real issue. Just put on a hat and they were good to go. It would make Jim’s life easier at least. He had plenty he could loan the guy.

Then the door clicked closed and the light turned off and they were once again in the darkness of early morning. Jim turned his attention away from his passenger and back to his truck. He lowered the emergency break and took them out of ‘park’ and slowly started to ease onto the road.

“Looking for something specific?” He asked once they were back up to speed, headlights flaring and illuminating the cracked asphalt in front of them. “We get a lot of scientists out here. Scientists and engineers. New Mexico is kind of known for it. You know, with the whole atomic bomb thing” Jim said conversationally. 

“I am aware.” The answer came slowly, as if the mention of atomic weapons was a little unnerving which, Jim supposed, was fair. Weapons of mass destruction probably didn’t sit well with beings from other planets. Jim _had_ seen ‘independence day’ after all. As a distraction Jim grabbed one of the bottles of water in the cup holder and handed it to Spock, watching out of the corner of his eye as he took it and opened it carefully. 

“I am looking for invasive species.” The alien finally said after he had taken a long drink. He must have been out there a while then if he was that thirsty. That or he had also been using the water to avoid the awkward air. “It is an arduous task but I am happy to do it.”

“Invasive species ha? Well we can’t have that.” Jim smiled, thinking about the number of invasive plants and animals that have been introduced to New Mexico by human hands and all of the issues that had come along with it. He supposed it was good to know that aliens were trying to prevent that from their end. 

“It is imperative to ensure that invasive species are properly contained and eradicated.” The man agreed, “I am tasked with keeping a careful eye on this area for such unwanted invasions.”

“Well…” Jim said carefully, glancing over at his guest, “I’m glad someone is looking out for us. I doubt we would even be able to tell an invasive species from your...uh, home, much less how to deal with it.”

The alien inclined his head in a nod and Jim glanced over at him again. 

“Are you out here alone or what? Did you and your group split up to cover more ground?” He asked after a moment, “Because if not then, i'm not going to lie, that kinda shitty of your people to send you out here without any kind of backup. This place is dangerous. Please tell me you have like, a large ship hiding behind the moon or something?”

Spock blinked over at him again and Jim was starting to get that it was a _thing._ “Negative. The research vessel which brought me and my colleagues to this system is currently maintaining an orbit of the edge of your solar system.” He explained, as if the idea of the ship being behind the moon was ridiculous, “As my mission was considered low risk I simply took a small shuttle here to do my survey. I am expected to return within the week.”

“Right. Okay.” Jim said, blinking at that flood of information. “Well. I still think it is stupid that they didn’t send any kind of backup. But hey, you’re the ones with space-flight so what do I know?” He shrugged and that seemed to be that. Spock had no more to say on the matter and Jim wasn’t exactly sure where to go from there or what he was even really allowed to ask. Criticizing the guys ‘field work’ choices probably wasn’t it. 

Still, the guy seemed open enough and willing to answer questions but at the same time Jim wasn’t too sure if he _should_ be asking questions, no matter how curious he was. It was probably both rude and dangerous for both of them to pry. He pursed his lips and decided that he wouldn’t ask the guy for any more information unless he chose to share it himself. That was probably the safest option. probably.

Eventually Jim reached over and turned on the radio, letting some soft music fill the car to drown out the silence. They had a long road ahead and Jim, at least, needed to make sure he stayed awake.

##### Two: Flooding The Field

“You can come on in, just knock your boots outside before you do.” Jim said, hitting his own against the stucco wall of his abuela’s old house to knock off the dried mud before heading inside. He touched his fingers against the feet of the santo of Mary which was placed in a little niche just beside the front door before stepping into the living room. 

“You need anything while I’m here?” He called out behind him as his guest followed him into the house. “I’m going to be here a while but I've got to get to ABQ by this afternoon.” He said, moving to the kitchen so he could look through the back window at his abuela’s field. They had just planted the winter grass three weeks ago but he could already see it coming in. “I’ve got to get out back and open the acequia. Are you going to be okay while I’m out?” he turned.

Spock was still standing near the front door and was glancing curiously around the old living room, taking in the rag-tag furniture, the old wood burning stove that was mostly used as a fire place now, the low ceilings that only gave him a foot of space between him and the roof. He seemed fascinated by it all, even moving to run his fingers along the feet of the santo of Mary as Jim had done, as if trying to figure out the purpose to such an action.

As much as Spock seemed to be fascinated by the old house, Jim found himself fascinated by _him._ There was early morning light streaming in from the windows, painting the room in warm oranges and yellows and Jim was struck by the odd thought that the scene looked intimate _._ Like Jim was seeing something he shouldn’t be by observing his guest so obviously engrossed in his observations. Maybe it was because the guy didn’t seem to do expressions and so, seeing the obvious wonder on his face was enthralling. Add that to the soft light of early morning and the whole scene was like out of an Edward Gonzalez painting. It made something warm and comfortable fill Jim’s chest. The feeling he usually associated with coming home after a long trip. It was odd to feel it now but he didn’t try to over think it and instead let it push out the lingering fatigue from his early morning trip.

“What is an acequia?” Spock’s voice cut through Jim’s thought as he jumped. his gaze had turned to Jim through the archway to the kitchen where Jim was leaning, arms crossed, and Jim realized he had been staring very openly at his guest. Shit. He hoped he hadn’t come off as creepy.

Jim smiled as warmly as he could and tried to push his embarrassment back. He focused instead on being glad that the guy was talking again. Their whole trip he had been silent which had been fine for the first thirty minutes before Jim’s nerves had gotten the better of him and he had started to info-dump on the poor guy. He wasn’t even sure what he had talked to him about really. Knowing him he had jumped around topic to topic like damn jackrabbit. 

“It’s um…It’s a ditch?” He floundered slightly, “Kind of. More an artificial river used to water crops. There is probably a better translation somewhere out there.” he shrugged, “It’s going to take seven hours for me to water everything so If I don’t head out now I’m going to be in trouble. Make yourself at home alright?” He offered, indicating to the house, “Feel free to look around as much as you want. It’s still early enough too that I doubt anyone will come knocking.”

Spock seemed to think that offer over for a moment before straightening himself out and moving forward with what, on a human, might have been a look of determination. “If it is no trouble I would like to go with you.”

“I...oh.” Jim blinked, surprised by the request, “Uh. ya sure. It’s a bit of a walk to the gate but it shouldn’t be an issue.” He watched the guy for some kind of reaction to that but when it didn’t come he simply nodded to himself instead.

He had to go back to one of the bedrooms to grab his work gloves and wrench just in case. It was no good to get caught out there unable to open the damn compuerta, before heading back to the front of the house where Spock was. He was once more looking around, this time in the kitchen in that same look of wonder. 

“You ready?” Jim asked as he moved over and lightly patted his guests shoulder. He wanted for a slight bowing of the guys head before smiling and going: “Great. This-a-way!” 

He took him out the kitchen door this time instead of the front door which meant crossing a small but sturdy wooden bridge over the dried arroyo that ran alongside the house. They followed it after that towards the artificial hill that is visible in front of them. 

“Is all of this your land?” Spock asked after a moment and Jim turned to look at the stretch of farmland around them. 

“Naw, just the stuff out to our right.” He indicated to it, “It’s about ten acres.”

“What is it that you are growing?” Spock asked, looking at the low grass covering the land to their side.

“Now?” Jim rubbed a hand along his leg in nervous energy. He liked talking to people, he did, but he never knew how much to open up about his work with new folks. The topic could get sensitive. “I’m growing winter grass.” He finally gave in, figured he didn’t exactly have much to lose, “I’ll get a few calves on it when it grows in a little more and let them over-winter here until next spring when I’ll re-plant the alfalfa.” he explained as he took a second to look at the grass now that he could see the whole field.

“And what will you do with the calves when you plant your next crop?” Spock inquired and Jim got nervous again, this time stuffing his hands into his pockets and slouching over which, given his already short stature, probably wasn’t doing much for him. 

“Uhhhh...well. I um…” He glances and Spock and then away. “Look man, I don’t know how much you know about farming and ranching but we um...their food. I’ll-I’ll use them for food for the rest of the year.”

“I-” The alien started before doing that blinking thing he seemed which Jim was starting to suspect meant that he was processing new information. “oh.”

“Ya…” Jim responds in a low mumble, “it’s...not usually people’s most enthusiastic topic.”

“My...people are vegetarian.” Spock replied slowly which, while a cool fact and while it was also cool that Spock was freely offering up information about himself, Jim couldn’t help but wince hard at it. Of course he was vegetarian. Of course.

“Ya. See that’s kinda why I try not to bring it up.” he mumbled “I mean, it’s the way of life out here-” he tried to wave his hand but it was stuck in his pocket. “Anyways. Sorry, I’ll try not to bring it up again.”

“I do not mind.” Spock was quick to say and Jim glanced at him, eyes narrowing slightly to see if the guy was actually telling the truth. It was hard to tell, his blank face really didn’t give anything away. “While my culture is a vegetarian one, there is diversity throughout the galaxy. It would be remiss of me to avoid learning a different way of life simply because your food practices are different from my own.”

“Oh. Well…” Jim managed to pull his hand out of his pocket and coughed lightly into his fist, “es no problema, but if you are sure you want to learn. I mean, I don’t mind not talking about these things. And if you are looking for a crash course in New Mexico culture I mean, there is a _lot_ besides that.”

“As you have a greater knowledge of such things, I submit to your discretion.” The alien offered and Jim relaxed a little at that.

“Ya, You probably shouldn’t do that.” He teased, “My friends will tell you I have very little self control. anyways, Here we are.” he said, indicating to the slight slope which was mostly loose soil and long grasses. Jim braced himself with practiced ease at the bottom and ran the short distance to the top with a few large steps before turning to look at Spock and holding out a hand. “Te ayudo?” he asked, offering out his hand. Spock seemed to stare at it for a long moment before finally clasping Jim’s hand in his own and letting Jim pull him up and onto the edge of the small acequia. It stretched north of south along the far edge of his abuela’s land and he took a moment to enjoy the sound of running water and the sight of it in the still-rising sun.

“It is a stream.” Spock said from beside him, this time blinking a few times which Jim took to mean he was surprised. “It is artificial?” he asked, “constructed from dirt?”

“Yup!” Jim replied, pulling on his gloves and moving to the compuerta to open the puerta and get the water flowing into his field. “The hispanos that settled here didn’t have much else to build them from so they just dug them in the ground.”

“These are old.” He said, though Jim could tell it wasn’t a question, “In truth I had expected some kind of construction. If it wasn’t for the obvious uniform depth and length of this ‘acequia’ I would have thought it a natural stream. There is life in them.” He said, looking down into the water.

“Ya.” Jim agreed,”They are a few hundred years old and connect directly to the Rio Grande so things eventually get in, especially in the ones that are always filled like this. This one just a small one, if you follow it up a ways it eventually connects to the acequia madre. You can go fishing in those ones.”

“Fascinating.”

“I call it fun. Well, the fishing at least.” He smiled at Spock and hoped that all the conversation meant that the guy might be warming up to him a little. He watched as Spock looked down into the water and got that look upon his face once more. The one that made Jim’s heart feel warm. He wondered if the look was scientific intrigue. The guy had said he was a scientist and Jim could see how all of this might be interesting to someone not only new to the area, but from a whole different planet. Jim once more let himself bask in the warm and comfortable feeling and, for a while at least, didn’t let himself over think it. 

##### Three: A Vegetarian Breakfast

“So you said you were vegetarian right?” Jim asked as they finally got back to the house. By the time it had taken to walk around the whole field and make sure the water was flowing correctly the sun was already up over the Sandias and Jim had opted to give Spock his hat, just in case some of the neighbors decided to start driving by. He looked cute in it, Jim thought, though maybe Jim would dig out his black hat for the guy to wear to hide his ears. The cream looked good, sure, but given how much black the guy was wearing he was sure it would be appreciated. 

“That is correct.” Spock said, knocking his own boots as they re-entered the house, this time something that was much needed after their walk.

“What about eggs?” Jim asked, going to his fridge, “Cheese?”

“I...do not know.” The alien admites and Jim had to wonder if there were birds or mammal-like creatures on the guy's planet. And if not did that mean the guy didn’t have nipples?

He studiously avoided looking over at Spock to try and find an answer to that question. It wasn’t like he would be able to tell through what had to be five layers of thick black fabric. He bit his bottom lip to stop himself from thinking on it further.

“best to avoid them just in case. breakfast is going to be hard then, I don’t know many vegan breakfasts.” he mumbled more to himself, glancing along his selection before closing the door. 

“I, once again, leave it to your discretion.”

“You really really shouldn’t” Jim laughed lightly as he moved over to his pantry and started to dig around in there instead.

“Ah-ha!” He said triumphantly as he pulled out a bag with a purple powder inside. “Masa!” He smiled over at Spock, “Okay so, i’m going to go ahead and make chaquewe since I was craving something sweet this morning anyway _and_ it has the extra benefit of being vegan if you want it to be!” he handed Spock the masa to look at, “It's a corn based food. Kind of like oatmeal I guess? Do you guys have oatmeal?” 

“I do not know what that is.” Spock confessed and Jim shrugged as he took the masa back. 

“Well anyways, you can make this savory or sweet so we’ll go with sweet. Give me a sec and i’ll get some coffee going too.” He paused, realizing something he probably should have a while ago, “um, unless you're tired?” He looked back over at Spock, forcing his own overly abundant energy to _stop_ for one damn second. Or at least tried to, “I picked you up pretty damn early out there. If you want you can go take a nap around back? Es no problema. I can put off food for a while.”

The alien seemed to think this over for a moment before shaking his head, “That will not be necessary. I have had adequate sleep within the last day and while I will likely need to mediate soon I would prefer to observe you preparing this ‘masa’.” 

“Well, Alright then,” Jim agreed easily enough. He actually liked the guy's company, though that could just be because the guy was a good listener and Jim could just rant at him. On top of it the guy actually seemed interested in what Jim was talking about. He figured he probably was, after all the guy did say he was a scientist and that he wanted to learn so Jim figured, hey, if the guy didn’t mind him talking then he was going to _talk._

“Making corn meal mush isn’t exactly the most entertaining thing.” He smiled before putting down the bag of masa on the counter and busying himself in the cabinets. Pots were put on the gas stove and spices were carefully placed on the counter beside it: red chile, honey, cinnamon, and some roasted piñón. The stove turned on with a few harsh clicks and then a roar of a fire before he put some water on to boil in two different pots: One for the chaquewe and one for the coffee. The whole time Spock just stood off to the side, observing Jim’s actions intently so Jim started to narrate for him. 

“I’m making this one with water to keep it vegan for you, but I usually like to make mine with half-milk-half-water,” He explained as he started to whisk the blue corn meal into some water in another bowl as the water on the stove came to a slow boil. “Down in Albuquerque there is a place, Tia Betty Blues, it's by the airport, it makes this stuff as a drink. They call it atole though, but it’s fucking amazing.” He went on, “I try and get it whenever I'm heading back out here so I have something warm on my way back.” he said as he gently poured the masa-water mixture into the boiling water and started to stir.

“This is more a cereal thing though.” He frowned, looking down at the pot he was mixing, “I’m still not too sure about the difference honestly, between atole and chaquewe that is. Might just be a regional dialect thing...” He shrugged, “I suppose it doesn’t matter. Go with what you know right?” He smiled over at his guest. 

“Anyway, my abuela used to make this on special occasions or when I asked really really nice. Usually it was just easier for her to fry me an egg.” He smiled at the memory, “How do you feel about spicy food?”

“I am...partial to it.” Spock answered after a moment, still seeming fascinated at watching the masa thickening on the stove.

“Alright. In that case I’ll only add in a little red chile powder and you can decide if you want to add more.” He said, grabbing the honey next and pouring some in and mixing before grabbing the red chile powder and sprinkling a small amount over everything along with the cinnamon. He tasted it and hummed before grabbing some salt and shaking it in before tasting again. “And we are good!” He smiled, turning off the flame and moving instead to the coffee press and pulling out a bright red bag from above it. “Piñón coffee, the best coffee around.” He winked and let out a small laugh as if sharing an inside joke. He scooped some of the coffee grounds into the bottom of the coffee press and went to grab the boiling water from the stove top before pouring it in.

“We’ve got about four minutes on that.” He said, grabbing down some bowls and serving out the chaquewe. “You allergic to nuts?”

“I am...unaware of any allergies.” Spock said as Jim put the two bowls down on the kitchen table.

“Right.” He mumbled, looking at Spock and then down at the bowl of Chaquewe and back up at Spock, worried. “Are you _sure_ that you can even eat this stuff? Because I really don’t want to kill you man. We’re kinda far from a hospital and ambulances aren’t the speediest things.”

Spock seemed to think that over for a moment before moving over to the table and pulling out a small machine from one of the inner folds of his flowing shirt. Jim staired, wondering where the hell that had been hidden and what other gadgets were tucked away in those clothes. Spock held the small machine over the bowl of food and waited for a long moment before nodding. “It is edible to me.” He acknowledged, putting the machine away and it was Jim’s turn this time to blink in surprise.

“Alright. Siéntate then. It might be a bit hot so blow on it first.” Jim warned, going back to grab the bag of roasted and cracked piñons which were brought over to the table along with a couple of old ceramic mugs and the coffee press. “Let me know if you need anything alright? I like to have my coffee black but I’ve got some sugar laying around if you need.”

he watched as Spock took his first few hesitant bites of his meal. It had been almost entertaining to watch Spock eat the new food, contemplate it, before taking another slower bite. It couldn’t have been that bad though as Spock continued to eat after that with no sign of issue. 

They ate the first half of their meal mostly in silence and, Jim realized, It was the first time since they had gotten into his truck that Jim had really _stopped_. Damn but he had been talking the guys ear off. He promised himself he would give his guest a break after this, no matter how nice it was to have someone to chat with, or more accurately: talk at. 

Having made that resolution Jim was shocked, when half way through his own bowl, Spock was the one that broke the silence. “On my home planet we have a soup that is similar in color to this dish,” He said and Jim stared at him in open surprise, “though it is thicker than Plomeek soup, visually it looks very close.” and after a moment he added, “as illogical as it was, I found myself initially expecting a similar flavor to that dish.”

Jim smiled widely at this new information. Actually able to be excited this time at his guest sharing information about his world with him. “I take it they taste nothing alike?” he prompted, hoping to keep the open conversation going. 

“No.” Spock replied, taking another bite and contemplating it once again like he had done at the beginning, “Though the flavor is not unpleasant. I find this to be palatable.”

“Only palatable hu?” Jim laughed lightly, “I must be slipping. If you want you can add in more honey or chile until it becomes more than just palatable.” Jim teased, reaching for the chile powder himself and pouring more in before pausing, opening a rectangular container on the table and taking a large scoop of butter to add to his dish. Spock watched him curious and Jim smiled, indicating to the butter. “If you add that then your dish won’t be vegan anymore. It _will_ still be vegetarian but that’s _mantequilla:_ butter _._ It comes from cows milk. The animals aren’t killed to get it though, just milked.” He offered before thinking back to his earlier thoughts and thinking ‘what the hell’, “you uh...have mammals where you are from?” 

“We have a similar concept, yes.” Spock said, and Jim smiled widely at that, the probability of the guy having nipples just increased. Which, okay, he still probably shouldn’t be thinking about but _come on_. He was allowed to be a little curious right? “It is evolutionarily advantageous, especially in a desert, to have a means of feeding ones young from one’s own body.”

“Hu. Well...I guess there are some constants in the universe.” He took another bite before lighting up as he remembered something else. “Hey, do you guys have _birds?!”_

__


End file.
